1. Technical Field
Various aspect of the present invention relate to social and professional networking and, more particularly, to interactive networking systems for enabling interaction between one or more classes of users.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional social and professional networking systems enable users to interact with one another via various networking protocols. These systems provide a variety of services, but they generally lack the ability to classify a user's network of contacts to provide varying levels of communication capabilities among different levels of users.
Such conventional systems are also not designed for serving as social or professional networking and communications platforms where certain individuals are highly sought after communication partners. For example, while celebrities are able to register and utilize conventional networking systems to communicate directly with their friends and acquaintances, celebrities do not currently have the ability to selectively allow communications from their fans.
These conventional systems are also generally limited in how they allow various users to communicate. For example, conventional systems generally limit inter-user communications to chat rooms, message boards, and/or private email messages.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that provides increased communications capabilities.
There is also a need for a networking system whereby users can control communication capabilities pertaining to communications with other users, where such controls may be at least partially based on a class of such users.
There is a further need for such a networking system having safety controls enabling member interactions while allowing a receiving party to establish criteria controlling receipt of communications.
There is a further need for such a networking community, in which celebrities may communicate directly with fans in a virtual environment providing real-time interaction.
It is to such a networking system that that the present invention is directed.